Apparatus for drying shoes



Jul 19, 1927.

J. W. QUINN APPARATUS FOR DRYING SHOES Filed June 25, 1925 3Sheets-Sheet 1 [uvenior JZIzniL Quu ln 1? V filial w July 19,, 1927.

J; W. QUINN APPARATUS FOR DRYING SHOES Filed June 25. 1925 3Sheets-Sheet 2 inventor JbhnWQulnle.

Jilorney I 1,636,195 J. W. QUINN APPARATUS FOR DRYING SHOES Fi'led June25. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES P JOHN WILLIAM QUINN, OF HULL, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING SHOES.

Application filed, June 25, 1925. Serial No. 39,601..

This invention relates to an apparatus for drying solutions applied toleather of any kind. The leather can be kid, calfskin, side leather orany leather imitation. This invention has for its mainpurpose to afforda process whereby so-called patent leather or enameling solutions orsimilar materials can be applied to a shoe and quickly and thoroughlydried thereon without damage to the sole and other parts of the shoe.

In the manufacture of enameled leather shoes, in spite of great careduringthe lasting operations, cracks or scratches are developed in thetoes, counters or other parts of the shoe upper. Careless handling ofthe shoes may result in damages to the leather finish.

These cracks, scratches or damaged parts are repaired by buffing, eitherby handor machine, the cracks, scratches or damaged parts. After buffinga filler is applied to the buffed spot, thus a finish is restored to thecracked, scratched or damaged parts. This filler is either cut down witha cutter in order to conceal the fact that a s ot has been repaired, orthere is appliedto t-lie-spot a flow. The whole shoe is often flowedeven though it has not been necessary to repair the whole shoe. Thismethod is open to serious objections, the most serious being that therepaired part and the rest of the flowed shoe dry very slowly. On dayswhen the humidity is great and atmospheric conditions are unfavorablefor drying, a long time is required to dry the flowed shoe. This delayin drying causes considerable inconvenience to the shoe manufacturerbecause their production may be seriously impeded. Frequently a repairedshoe will stick to the paper in the shoe box in which it was packedbecause the filler, although apparently dry, was not absolutely so. Thedifficulties of drying shoes, especially enameled leather shoes, whichhave been repaired and flowed cannot be exaggerated. 1

My present invention contemplates an improved apparatus by which theshoes may be. rapidly dried without the necessity of hand manipulation.templates in brief, subjecting the shoes, after they have been repairedwith filler or re paired with filler and flowed to an atmosphere of dryand preferably warm air, kept constantly changing as by exposing theshoes in a chamber tosuch an atmosphere,

My invention con continuously supplied from without and continuouslywithdrawn from within. I am thus able to keep the shoes surrounded by anunsaturated airenvelope which is constantly' changed to withdraw thatportion which has become loaded or charged with the escaping volatilesolvent.

Under such treatment, the shoes are uniformly freed from the solvent ofthe filler or the flow as the air bath circulates freely on all sidesand against all parts. No hand manipulation is required and the dryingout is uniform and regular. A shoe dried by this means will not besticky and can be packed without any loss of time.

Throughout the s ecification and drawings like reference CEZLIElCtQl'Sare employed to indicate corresponding parts. In the drawings I showcharacteristic apparatus for the practice of my invention. In thedrawings, the figures appear as follows:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of such an apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a front view.

F ig- 3 is a plan view.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, and

Figs. 6 and 7 are transverse sections on lines 66 and 7-7 of Fig. 3.

The apparatus for practicingmy invention consists of a drying chamber 1,open from front to rear, and within which the shoes or other articles tobe treated are placed through the open front end thereof.

Located in advance of the chamber 1 and preferably slightly below theplaneof the bottom wall thereof, 'is a heater 2 of any desired type,here shown as an electric heater, and located in rear of the dryingchamber is a suction fan 3.

By this construction, the shoes may be exposed in a constantly changingbath of dry, warm and unsaturated air which is continuously suppliedfrom without and continuously withdrawn from within, so that the shoesare surrounded by an envelope of unsaturated air. The effect of thistreatment is to uniformly and rapidlv drv the shoes without handmanipulation thereof, and at the same time to withdraw the escapingvolatile solvent from the work-room rather than into the room.

Preferably the shoes are'spaced from the floor of the drying chamber, asby means of the open frame rack 4, so as to insure free circulation ofair beneath and around them, and the side walls of the drying chamberconverge towards the rear end thereof so as to insure proper draft ofair through the chamber. The suction fan 3 is mounted at this point andis preferably of the motor unit type, the motor being indicated at 5.

The solventladen air drawn through the chamber by the fan is dischargedthrough an exhaust flue 6 behind the fan which preferably deliversoutside of the work room. The current connection to the tan motor isindicated at 7, and that to the resistance of the electric heater at 8,both preferably being such that the speed of the fan and the degree ofheat may both be simultaneously regulated. Y

The drying chamber has a vertically disposed reticulated guard 10extending from side to side thereof to prevent the shoes frombeinginserted so deeply therein as to be likely to interfere with the fan,and the heater is also "suitably enclosed by the perforated guard 11.Preferably the heater is attached as a staggered coiled resistance uponan apron 12 depending vertically from the forwardedge of the chamberfloor.

The exhaust connection 6 is removably fastened to the fan housing, as bya collar 13, and if desired, the guard 10 may have a hinged door 14 tofurther facilitate access to the fan or motor.

The temperature and time of treatment varies according to the characterof the shoe being treated, the solvent employed, and the generalconditions prevailing, usually only a few minutes being required.

Various modifications of the apparatus may obviously be resorted toWithin the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appendedclaim.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An apparatus for drying shoes coated with a liquid, comprising a chamberadapted to receive the shoes, said chamber being opened at one end andcommunicating directly with the outer atmosphere, a screen at the otherend of the shoe receiving chamber, a perforated support in said chamberfor ho ding the shoe in spaced relation to the bottom of the chamber, anelectric heating means mounted outside of the shoe chamber below theperforated shoe sup ort and adjacent the opening to the cham er, asecond chamber havin with the shoe 0 amber through the screen and theother end opening to the atmosphere and a suction fan in said secondchamber 'whereby the air preheated outside the first chamber is drawnthrough the shoe chamber. In'testimony whereof afi'ix my signature.

JOHN WILLIAM QUINN.

one end communicating

